Enhancement of photovoltaic system performance via passive cooling

The passive cooling of a photovoltaic module via fins attached to the rear surface of the module is investigated. A solar module with no air cooling was used as a base model for comparison against modules cooled by attached fins (heat sinks). These heat sinks were also tested for modules exposed to still air and a ventilation air. A theoretical study of heat transfer through PV modules with and without cooling fins was conducted to investigate the effect of fins material, thickness, height, spacing as well as ambient temperature, solar radiation, and air flow velocity on the module electrical efficiency and output power. The results showed significant drop of module temperature and increase of output power due to fins cooling. The module efficiency decreased linearly with the increase of ambient temperature. Higher air velocity led to better fins cooling and consequently better electrical performance. The fins thermal conductivity and thickness has little impact on module output. The electrical efficiency decreased and the power output increased with the increases solar radiation.